Salmon Steward

salmon Steward magazine 23 PHOTO: TAVISH CAMPBELL T he Pacific Salmon Foundation has unveiled a new and unique online tool designed to increase knowledge about the status of salmon populations and their habitats in the Skeena River Watershed. "The new tool is a highly visual and searchable website to help people get a much deeper understanding of the information that exists about the Skeena Watershed," says Dr. Brian Riddell, president and CEO of the Pacific Salmon Foundation. "It's easy to use and understand, allowing it to be shared with anyone who is interested, including federal, provincial, local and First Nations government sta†; industry representatives; environmental stewards; and the general public." The tool was developed by sta† at the Foundation in collaboration with ESSA Technologies in Vancouver, using financial contributions from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Canada's National Conservation Plan and TransCanada Corporation. It is a key part of the Foundation's overall Skeena Salmon Program, which for almost 10 years now has been expanding baseline scientific information for Skeena salmon and their habitats, collating data and making that information broadly accessible. Much of the success can be attributed to collaborations between the Foundation, First Nations, government agencies, NGOs and communities, and contractors. The Foundation consulted through a technical advisory committee that engaged all of these groups. "This has been a long time coming, but I am very pleased with this development," says Dr. Riddell. "By simply clicking on a map of the Skeena Watershed, key information can be accessed on the 55 unique salmon groups [Conservation Units] and the factors that are a†ecting them and their habitats." "It's easy to see many potential applications for the tool," Dr. Riddell adds. "For example, local First Nations communities can use this information to better understand which salmon habitats are the most at risk of degradation and where future development could pose additional risks to salmon habitats. Governments at all levels could also use it to better develop policies around salmon conservation and protection, and industry could use it to see how they may be contributing to and interacting with other land-use pressures in the region." "The Moore Foundation supported the development of Pacific Salmon Explorer," says Ivan Thompson, program o–cer with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, "so Skeena wild salmon advocates would have ongoing access to the best available data for ensuring 'salmon-friendly' resource development and fisheries exploitation. It promises to provide exactly that." And the potential benefits of the tool won't stop there. While it is currently focused on the Skeena River Watershed, the Foundation is developing the application for the Nass River and there are plans to incorporate additional watersheds along British Columbia's north and central coasts in future iterations. "Actually, I see this development and the processes involved as a model for implementing Canada's Policy for Conservation of Wild Pacific Salmon throughout B.C. and the Yukon," says Dr. Riddell. For more information on the new online tool – and to try it out for yourself – go to salmonexplorer.ca. A new website developed by the Pacific Salmon Foundation increases understanding of local salmon populations and habitats Surfing skeena the

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